Finnair launches flights to Chongqing
Finnair launched a new route to China yesterday, connecting Helsinki with Chongqing.
Flights will operate four times a week using an Airbus A330 or A340 aircraft. The route takes eight and a half hours and Finnair is aiming to tap into the expanding market for flights between Europe and China by offering the shortest flying times between the two regions.
“China is a key part of our Asia-Europe strategy,” said Finnair’s CEO Mika Vehviläinen. “Western China is an important growth area and the new route will strengthen our position in the growing Asian markets… We believe Chongqing has the potential of developing into a hub for travel between Western China and Europe, both for business and leisure travellers.”
In addition to the new Chongqing route, Finnair flies daily to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Helsinki. This summer Finnair will operate 81 weekly flights to 11 destinations in Asia. The airline says that the Finnish capital is “the most geographically logical transfer point” for passengers connecting between Asia and Europe.